The present invention relates to a leaf paper bundling apparatus that winds tape around the outside of the paper that is held in a bundling position, cuts the tape and uses thermal bonding to bundle the leaf paper.
Conventional leaf paper bundling apparatus, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 109723/1987, stacks leaf paper that is to be bundled at a stacking portion, conveys the stacked leaf paper to a bundling portion by conveyor means when the number of leaves has reached a certain number (in the case of banknotes, this number is customarily 100 of the same denomination), holds the stack between holders at the bundling portion, introduces a divider between the leaf paper held in the holder so that removing the divider winds the tape around the leaves and the holder when the ends of tape are held between the leaves, and bonds the cut end portions of the tape after they have been cut to complete the bundling operation. The bundled leaf paper is then pushed out from the space between the holders.
In addition, a different type of leaf paper bundling apparatus only performs bundling, and in this type, for example, an operator creates a stack of 100 notes of the same denomination and introduces them by hand into a bundling portion of a leaf paper bundling apparatus so that a portion other than the portion that is being held by hand is supported by a holder, a divider is inserted in between the leaves of this portion of the stack, tape ends are placed inside the stack so that removing the divider holds the tape ends between the leaves, and winds the tape around the holder as well. The tape is cut, and the cut end portions of the tape are bonded to complete the bundling operation.
However, in the former of these two types of conventional apparatus, the tape is wound around both the holder and the leaf paper that it holds, and so it is necessary to use a pusher to push the end portion of the bundle in order to expel it from the holder. There is a first problem in that the end portion that is pressed may be marked by the pusher. In addition to this, there is the additional problem with both the former and the latter apparatus in that it is easy for the neat bundle to become uneven when the bundle is removed from the holder, and this greatly deteriorates the appearance of the bundled paper.
A third problem exists in that, when the leaf paper is bundled by the tape, the leading edge of the tape in the direction in which it is wound turns down the leaves when the tape is wound, and this further deteriorates the appearance of the bundle.
A first objective of the present invention is to solve the first and second problems by the provision of a leaf paper bundling apparatus that bundles leaf paper by winding tape directly around the leaf paper and that does not slacken the tape during bundling.
A second objective of the present invention is to solve the first, second and third problems by winding tape directly around the leaf paper and by not allowing the leaf paper be turned down even when the tape is wound during bundling.